1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of transmitting a multiplexed picture signal, and an apparatus for and method of receiving a multiplexed picture signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the recent progress of the digital processing and transmission of a television signal, developments have actively been made to provide multifunction TV receivers. The functions of such TV receivers include reception and display of multiplexed television signal carrying character information. If many channels can be transmitted via a digital cable network or communication satellite broadcasting, it will be possible for the TV audience to enjoy contents of a program, associated with each other, on difference channels. For example, in a sports program, pictures taken from different camera angles can be broadcast simultaneously on a plurality of channels.
The character broadcasting (teletext) and multichannel broadcasting will give the audience a wider choice of programs, and allow a TV receiver to have an added value called xe2x80x9cinteractivityxe2x80x9d although the broadcasting is of course unidirectional. With the above-mentioned multichannel TV system, when the TV audience is interested in an actor or actress, for example, playing in a drama on a TV channel, displayed on the TV screen, he or she can designate the actor or actress, by pointing or by any other way, for access to the actor""s personal information given by characters displayed on the TV screen, or designate an accessory or ornament the actor wears for displaying another TV channel associated with the drama channel and on which shopping information related to the accessory is being broadcast.
On the other hand, the multimedia and hypermedia information coding experts group (MHEG) for standardization of the synchronous multiplexing method, control and format of the multimedia and the Internet television system for broadcasting a picture signal via the Internet network, has implemented the interactivity with the multimedia and Internet TV system by the object data transmission and bidirectional communications, respectively.
However, the conventional character broadcasting and multichannel broadcasting cannot be operated with a direct reflection of an audience""s interest as mentioned above since they have no direct relation with a picture signal, especially, selectable objects carried on the picture signal. The character information includes for example stock market information, news, shopping information, etc. The contents of such information are not directly relevant to the picture signal. The plot and caption of a program can only be displayed or not displayed, which is not any interactivity. In the multichannel broadcasting, a desired channel can be selected by switching through a plurality of channels as in the ordinary TV channel selection. This is not any interactive operation in connection with the contents of a program being viewed on the TV screen.
On the other hand, even with the interactivity implemented by the Internet television system and the bidirectional communications and object data transmission defined by the MHEG, it is difficult to make a controllable content of a variable-shape object moving in a moving picture on the TV screen. The data in this field has a format not compatible with data in the ordinary broadcasting, and so it cannot be received by the conventional TV receiver.
Even if such a content can be made and received by the conventional TV receiver, the TV audience has to locate an object moving in a picture using a keyboard or cursor key. The locating operation will be complicated.
Accordingly, the present invention has an object to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a method of transmitting a picture signal in a multiplexed data format in which relevant information can be appended to a selectable variable-shape object in a moving picture, and a receiving apparatus and method, adapted to display information relevant to a selected object in an interactive manner by a simple operation and appropriate feedback.
The above object can be attained by providing a transmitting method including, according to the present invention, steps of:
multiplexing a signal of a picture including a selectable object, with information relevant to the selectable object in the picture, with a visible symbol to which reference is made when selecting the selectable object, being presented in the picture correspondingly to the selectable object; and
transmitting the multiplexed picture signal;
the relevant information being displayed by selecting the selectable object referring to the symbol.
Also, the above object also be attained by providing a receiver for receiving a picture signal multiplexed with information relevant to a selectable object included in a picture and which have presented in the picture a visible symbol corresponding to the selectable signal, the apparatus including according to the present invention:
means for displaying the picture of the received picture signal;
an input means for receiving the symbol corresponding to the selected object; and
means for controlling the displaying means to display the information relevant to the selected object correspondingly to the symbol received by the input means.
Also the above object can be attained by providing a receiving method of receiving a picture signal multiplexed with information relevant to a selectable object included in a picture and which have presented in the picture a visible symbol corresponding to the selectable signal, the method including, according to the present invention, steps of:
displaying the picture of the received picture signal; and
controlling for the displaying means to display the information relevant to the selected object correspondingly to the received symbol.
As having been described in the foregoing, the present invention provides the transmitting method in which a signal of a picture are multiplexed with information relevant to a selectable object included in the picture and the picture signal thus multiplexed are transmitted. Also the present invention provides the receiver and receiving method in which a signal of a picture, multiplexed with information relevant to a selectable object included in the picture are received and a control is made to display the information relevant to the selected object correspondingly to a symbol included in the received picture.
According to the present invention, a character information or a picture on another channel may selectively be displayed as the information relevant to a selectable object standing still or moving in the picture signal.
Also, according to the present invention, when the relevant information is displayed, the position of the selected object can be fed back under the zooming effect to inform the TV audience of the relation of the relevant information to a picture being displayed.
Further, according to the present invention, the display position and content of the object can hourly be changed correspondingly to a movement of the object.
Moreover, according to the present invention, picture data can be displayed on a conventional TV receiver since the data form is interchangeable with the conventional one.
These objects and other objects, features and advantages of the present intention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.